Contents:
- Medical Video: 10 Signs You Might Have a Yeast Infection - Did You Experience These?
- The causes of abnormal or normal vaginal discharge occur
- Abnormal vaginal discharge can be a sign of a health condition (disease)
- How do you prevent abnormal vaginal discharge?
Medical Video: 10 Signs You Might Have a Yeast Infection - Did You Experience These?
The women must often experience vaginal discharge, which can occur at a mild to severe level. In mild amounts, vaginal discharge is actually normal. This is a liquid released by the vagina to protect the vagina and keep the vagina clean. Not only that, vaginal discharge also turns out to show your health condition. Find out the cause of abnormal vaginal discharge.
The causes of abnormal or normal vaginal discharge occur
Leucorrhoea is a liquid that comes out of the vagina. Usually a little thick, looks transparent / milky white, clean / no stains, and does not smell. Sometimes, vaginal discharge is rather thick, usually occurs when you are menstruating (can indicate when the body releases an egg), during breastfeeding, or during sexual intercourse.
However, sometimes vaginal discharge can be abnormal, with the characteristics of vaginal discharge coming out more than usual, removing unpleasant odors, the colors are not transparent or not clean (even the color can be green). In addition, it can also be accompanied by itching in the vagina, pain, and the vagina feels hot. This can also indicate the condition of your health that is in trouble.
In addition, abnormal vaginal discharge can also occur after menopause. This is because estrogen levels decrease, so the vagina becomes dry. Dry vagina is prone to irritation and inflammation, resulting in a lot of vaginal discharge.
Abnormal vaginal discharge can be a sign of a health condition (disease)
Abnormal vaginal discharge can be a sign that you are experiencing a vaginal infection (vaginitis). Reporting from the MSD Manual page, the three diseases most often associated with abnormal vaginal discharge are:
- Bacterial vaginosis, caused by abnormal balance of bacteria in the vagina. The growth of anaerobic bacteria in the vagina is excessive. Leucorrhoea caused by this disease usually appears with features white or gray, not thick, smells fishy, and in large quantities. The vagina also feels itchy.
- Candidiasis, caused by fungal infections of Candida albicans in the vagina. Leucorrhoea appears with white and thick features. The vagina feels itchy and hot, the pubic area can also be reddish and swollen.
- Trichomoniasis, is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. Leucorrhoea that comes out when you have this disease appears with yellowish or greenish features, sometimes foamy, fishy, and in large quantities. The vagina also feels itchy and reddish.
Besides trichomoniasis, vaginal discharge can also be caused by other sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea and chlamydial infections. Leucorrhoea that comes out because of this sexually transmitted disease also changes color, smell, and amount. If you notice something has changed from your vaginal discharge (not as usual), you should immediately consult a doctor to find out the cause of abnormal vaginal discharge.
How do you prevent abnormal vaginal discharge?
Abnormal vaginal discharge is usually caused by bacteria. So, to prevent this from happening, you have to treat vaginal hygiene well, especially when you are menstruating. You can do the following to prevent vaginal infections:
- Keep the vaginal area dry, especially after taking a shower
- Avoid using clothes that are too tight
- Clean the vaginal area from front to back after defecating or urinating
- clean up the outside partvagina with warm water or you can also use feminine area cleaning products containing Povidone-Iodine. Povidone-Iodine is a broad-spectrum antiseptic substance capable of controlling the spread and development of topical infections, overcoming a variety of pathogenic germs, and not causing resistance to antiseptics.
- Change pads regularly during menstruation
In addition, you should also not change sexual partners. Having multiple sexual partners can increase your risk of vaginal infections or sexually transmitted diseases that can cause abnormal vaginal discharge. The use of condoms during sexual intercourse is also recommended to prevent you from transmitting sexually transmitted diseases.
